Three social media personalities in the Richmond area are coming together to support local businesses impacted by GRTC Pulse construction project on Broad street. Sarah Choi, organizer of Instagrammers of RVA; Faith Wilkerson, of Unlocking RVA; and Samantha Kanipe, of The Richmond Experience are encouraging Richmonders to participate in #PULSETHEBROAD, a Broad street crawl and dinner event scheduled for Saturday, March, 17, 2018.

Working in partnership with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, GRTC is developing The Pulse. Though the first phase of the project was originally slated for an October 2017 completion, construction is scheduled to continue into spring. More than 50 business owners recently gathered at a community meeting organized by 2nd District Councilwoman Kimberly Gray to relay their concerns with the ongoing disruption along Broad Street that have resulted in losses.

The #PULSETHEBROAD initiative calls for Richmonders to Lyft, Uber, bike, walk, or take the bus to the downtown area on March 17th to show their support for the businesses on Broad street from 2 to 5 PM. Afterwards, the organizers will join those who want to have dinner with them at Max’s On Broad, Comfort and The Savory Grain.

“We jumped at the chance to be a part of this initiative,” says Faith Wilkerson, of Unlocking RVA and creator of the hashtag #PULSETHEBROAD. “This an issue we have heard from many business owners and we are fully committed to alleviating some of the pressure as much as we can.”

Choi says the idea for #PULSETHEBROAD was born when she recently visited the Broad Street area and was struck by the many businesses impacted by the construction. In addition to enlisting Wilkerson and Kanipe, Choi also turned to Angela Prado of Boomhitch, a branding agency whose office is located on Broad street in Jackson Ward.​For more information, visit www.pulsethebroad.com.